Construction of resilient wheels.



A. SPEIGHT.

CONSTRUCTION 0F RESILIENT WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-1I I9I4.

A. SPEIGHT.

CONSTRUCTION oF RESILIENT WHEELS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. Il, 1914.

1,160,336. Patented N0v.16,195.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Mz; i ff COLUMBIA PLANouRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

- mountedy on the hub or inner narran srafrns 'rarnnr cierren.,

ALFRED srniGi-ir, or wIMBLnnon rank, nNeLANn, nssieivon or cnn-HALF troy EDWARD WILLIAM MEREDITH, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

CONSTRUCTION or nnsnrnnr WHEELS..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11, 19,14. lserallNo. 871,475.V

vented certain new and useful Improve-l ments in the Construction of y Resilient idlheels, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to resilient wheels of the type wherein a displaceable wheel rim is mounted upon pneumatic piston and cylinder mechanism in which .the necessary pneumatic pressure .is produced automatically during they running of the vehicle by a pumping action. f

According to our invention a displaceable outer .rim is driven froma xed felly carried by tubular `spokes or cylinders mounted on the wheel hub and receiving sliding pump pistons yradially supporting the outer rim `by means of the rair pressure. produced in `the cylinders. The compression stroke of the pump occurs, as in .the knownfconstructions of pneumatic spoke type, duringy the travel ofthe cylinder from top to bottom of the wheelV while. the suctionstroke,

air .through a suitable .non-.re-.

drawing in occurs during the upward moveturn valve,

Vment/of .the cylinder as the wheel runs over the ground.

1n the construction of wheel we 4prefer to employ, the .spokes are constituted of strongcylinders fixed` to a suitable hub and `mounted at their outer ends in a fixedfelly.

Within yeach `cylinder slides a hollowcylindrical piston at both ends.4 Through the inner endof the hollow piston extends a fixed )piston rody end of the fixed cylinder and carrying an.` inner piston. rlhree `air chambers are formed in this manner, an inner one between the inner end of the'hollow piston and the end ofthe cylinder and .two within the hollow piston itself,

on `either side of the fixed piston. Three non-return valves are arranged to open in the samedirection and the air in either the inner chamber or the chamber at the outer side of the fixedpiston will. on compression be driven into the second chamber which, since it is 'formed between the inner end of the hollow piston andthe ixedpiston, ex pands in volume asthe first 4.chamberis freduced.` The air in ,thethirdchamber (either .of `considerable length, closed of the hollow7 piston the outer .or the inner according to the arrangement of valves) is compressed and exerts an outward pressure on the piston and .therefore on the wheel rim. The valves of the fixed piston andinner end of the hol.

low piston are arranged to have only'a small l opening so that air Vpasses `through coinparatiwely slowly. The pressure in the first chamber may therefore rise considerably above thatof the middle chamber during the rammed New; ie, isis.

brief period of .compression due to the ordinary running of the vehicle, the pressure in both the'finner and the outer chambers thus assisting in the supportk of the vehicle when the piston is under compression at the lower yside of the wheel. ylhe wheel rim is driven from-the fixed felly through crossing links arranged in pairs so that radial freedom is permitted to the rim while it is prevented from turning relatively to the.

felly. There is no driving yconnection between the rim. and the pistons.

fIn order athat the said invention may be.v

clearly understood .and readily carried `into effect, we lwill,nowiproceed to describe the same more `fully with reference .to .the ac'- companying drawings,`in which:-

`Figure 17s. a vertical section through one of the wheel spokes and the rim, showing the pump mechanism. Fig. 2 is` a side elevation partly in section, showing the link arrangement `connecting the rim to the felly; and Fig. .3 is a plan of the .links in extended position. i

l `is the wheel hubY carrying .tubular spokesor cylinders B connecting the `hub ,to the Vxed flanged felly C. Y

D isfthe ,rim fitted withftire Z of any suitable kind, an ordinary solid rubber tire being shown. n

`E isone of the hollow :pistons supporting the jrim D through aroller e. F fisfa fixed piston mounted on the -rod .f carried bythe inner end bref 7the cylinder B.` (di, 2G and G2 are the `links connecting `the rim and felly together for driving purf poses. y, Y i

As will .be seen in Fig. :l three successive` air chambers H, H and H2 areprovided between, respectively, thecylinder end b, and pistonfhead c', .the head e and `fixed `piston Rand the ipiston l1' and outer end or cape2 E. The inlet valve o for the air1 is shown in the cylinder end b and kopens outwardlyk from the wheel axis toward the end of the against the pressure of a spring b2, the air Y passing freely intoV the lirstchamberV H through passages b3. A smaller valve e3 is provided in the piston head e and allows of the passage of air from'the chamber H` tol the middle chamber H through a restricted passage 6,4, so that the flow of air is slow and' the pressure in thechamber H may rise considerably above that in themiddle chamber H when thepiston head e moves inwardly cylinder. The valve e3 may be closed only bythe pressure of air inthe chamber H.VV

,'lhe y'fixed piston F also carries a lsmall non-return valve f opening outwardly and permitting air toescape through a restricted passage f2 from the middle chamber H into the third chamber H2, which is contained in.V theouterpart of the hollow pistonEso that the air within this chamber Vexercises f outwardpressure against the vend of the pis- Vthe vehicle, .to the upper side ofthe rim through'thel ton E.

1 Cup leathers e5 and f3 on thepistonsand F make the pistons airtight in the cylinders, ther cup leathers being Lsecured in place in'any convenient manner. The fixed piston Fv may be adjustableon itsfrod f by a screw and locknut device as shown, so thatk the relative lengths of the'chambers H and H2. ma y beV regulated.

rThe general operation'of therpump mechanism is as follows :-Atv thek upper side of the wheel the rim D, which is rigid, is of course at a greater distance from'thefelly VvC than atthe bottom where thewheel meets the road, and the outer'orV suction stroke of the piston E occurs as 'it travelsfrom bot-` tom totop of the wheel,'the rim actuating the piston through the ends of theroller pin e, which are .confined in grooves d in the walls of the rim flanges (Z2. Duringthis Y stroke the inner and outer chambersH and H2 expand and lthesmiddle one H contracts. vWhen the pressure in the inner chamber H falls below that'of the atmosphere a further charge of air is drawn in. The pressure in the middle chamber vassists in the support of transmitting downward -pressure piston E so that the piston device is effective both above and below. the center of the wheel. When the pressure of air in t tht.l

middle chamber H exceedsthat in the outer chamber H2 some of the compressed air escapes into the latter and maintains its pressure atthedesire'd point. To prevent Van accumulation of pressure in this outer cham-c Vbersmall vents may -be provided, uncovered at the extreme end of the outerwpiszonv stroke to Vallow of suiicient leakagefofair to" keep down the internal pressure to thedeY-K sired level, but these vents are notsh'own as Y they do'not appear to be Anecessary in all cases. y It will'be seen that 'each piston de?V vice during the in and .outfstroke givenatl Ling action, by which `action road yg2 lto the ends of theflong each turn ofthe wheel draws in air atene end, compresses it and drives ittoward the other end. The constant supply of air under pressure produced by the ordinary running of the vehicle avoids the necessity of `using external pumping means, as even on starting without internal pressure the pres-Y sure is almost immediately raised to therequiredfamount.' Springs may howeverbe in which the valves Since the 'connection between the rim Di and piston E'is'a sliding one through the groovesd and roller pin e6, the special kdriving connection'is required kbetween the rim and the felly, which must belsoarranged that a limited freedom of the rimis provided for both radially and circumferentially, to

allow of the Ycompression of thefwheel at the ground and of the necessary. pump action. For driving purposes we arrange betweenl the wheelispokesor pistons a system of links, each `system comprisingv a pair of long crossing linksG, G, one of which is forked at g, and a' set of short links G2.

felly C and the shortA links G2 are pivotedat links and*v are mounted on the 'single vcentral pivotga. onV the-inner side of the rim D. Three short Ylinks G2 are employed, one for each. arm of thefork g andone for thestraight link'G,

yso -that thelinks are free to cross as shown in Fig. 2. For driving in one direction the forceisYK exertedy from the 'felly through the connected links G, .-G2, the other links being idle, vwhile for driving-in the opposite direction theL connected linksl G, G2 are used and the other pair is idle. Y Owing to the jointed link connection betw en the felly and rim freedom is given to the rim Within certain limits so'that itcan move to and fro in the felly (between ythe side anges or cheeks of `which the rim anges lie) without affecting theV drive. The systems of links adjust them-r `selves to any alteration in position, the being under compression and: the shorter links in tension in transmittingl 'longer links the drive.

What we claim and desirev to secure Letters Patent of the United States is lQIn a resilient wheel, a hub, tubular spokes'on the hub, a felly mounted on theY said spokes, a displaceable outer rim, slid' ing pistonsV working Lin the tubular spokes wheel is partly.

or vice versa, ac-l The links G, G: are pivoted at their opposite ends g to the' lio() and supporting the said rim without driving connection therewith, and a series of link connections each comprising a pair of long crossing links pivoted at opposite ends to the telly and of short links connecting each long link to the rim.

2. In a resilient wheel, a hub, tubularv spokes on the hub, a flanged felly mounted on the said spokes, a flanged displaceable i router rim with flanges lying between the flanges of the felly, sliding pneumatic pump pistons working in the tubular spokes and supporting the said rim without driving connection therewith and a series of link connections inclosed between the felly and rim flanges each connection comprising a pair of long crossing links pivoted at opposite ends to the folly, and of short links connecting each long link to the rim.

3. In a resilient wheel, a hub, tubular spokes on the hub, afelly mounted on the said spokes, a displaceable outer rim, sliding hollow pneumatic pistons in the tubular spokes, pistons fixed on the hub and inclosed in the tubular pistons, air inlet valves at the hub end of the spokes, valves in the said hollow and fixed pistons permitting air to pass radially between the chambers formed by the said spokes and` pistons, rollers on the outer endsof the said sliding pistons, sup- A at opposite ends to the felly, and of short links connecting each long link to the rim.

il. In a resilient wheel, ai hub, tubular spokeson the hub, a flanged felly mounted on the said spokes, a flanged displaceable outer rim with longitudinal grooves in the flanges, sliding pneumatic pistons in the tubular spokes, rollers carried by the outer ends of, the pistons and engaging freelyin the said grooves of the rim iianges and a series of link connections between the vfelly and rim, each connection comprising a pair of long crossing links pivoted at opposite ends to the folly, and of short links connecting each long link to the rim.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

^` ALFRED sPEiGH'r.

Witnesses:

A. M. GLASS, E. C. WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

i Washington, D. C. 

